STUDIES IN GENERALIZED BINDING (SYNTAX, GRAMMAR, PREDICATION)

Abstract

This dissertation is a study of the notion of subject in generative grammar. I will explore four distinct areas in syntax where the definition of subject plays a role in determining the opacity domain for NPs and variables. In particular, I wil examine the thematic structure of NPs, reflexives in German infinitivals, Turkish relative clauses, and extractions from adjunct phrases.^ In this work, I will attempt to characterize the role that subject plays in each of these areas. The major thesis is that there are two predication systems, A-Predication and A'-Predication (where A is argument and A' is non-argument). By adopting a generalized definition of subject in terms of external argument, we hope to provide a unified theory of A- and A'-binding, much as Aoun's theory does for Government-Binding. The resulting theory is a hybrid of Predication Theory and Generalized Binding. ^